It was then spotted in the West Midlands and was chased from a fast food forecourt.

When detectives discovered the car abandoned, they found it littered with the remains of a Burger King meal and quickly began collecting DNA evidence.

Their samples linked the gang to a string of crimes which included burglaries in The Rise, Castleside, near Consett, and one in Oakwood Drive, in Gateshead.

Patrick Connor, 25, from Griesdale, Wigan, and his uncle, also Patrick Connor, 32, of no fixed abode, yesterday appeared at Durham Crown Court where they were told they face time behind bars for their part in the raids.

They each admitted one count of conspiracy to commit burglary but denied two counts of using criminal property. Connor Snr also admitted a burglary on a 92-year-old blind woman in Leicestershire in which he stole £80 and her white cane.

Fellow defendant Martin Rooney, 23, of Market Harborough, Leicestershire, admitted conspiracy to commit burglary and two counts of attempted burglary but denied two charges of using criminal property. Sentencing for both Connors was adjourned until next month.

Rooney, who was coming to the end of an 18-month prison sentence for a similar attack, was told he would serve two eight-month terms to run concurrently.

The gang posed as water board workers and targeted elderly people across the country. As one of them asked the homeowner to turn off their water another tricked their way into the property and raided the house for cash.

Det Insp Dave Wolfe had been tracking the gang as they committed offences from Hampshire to Scotland.

He said: “These men targeted vulnerable and elderly people. This was a cowardly and callous offence. It deprives the victim of their right to independent living. They lack confidence after being targeted and it destroys lives.”